


The Story of the Djinni and the Professor

by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)



Category: Arabian Nights
Genre: Gen, Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-25
Updated: 2007-12-25
Packaged: 2017-10-03 08:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gray_Cardinal/pseuds/Gray%20Cardinal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A teacher of science finds an ancient bottle -- and releases the spirit within.  (Written for Yuletide 2007.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Story of the Djinni and the Professor

It had been (the queen said to her husband the Sultan) a great many centuries since a mortal man had encountered one of the many djinn that the great King Solomon had bound during his long and wondrous reign. But it nonetheless happened that a certain professor of physics at a great American university, bent on testing certain theories that he had developed concerning the djinn and their powers, consulted the oldest and most detailed records he could find of Solomon's reign, and using the knowledge he gleaned therein he journeyed unto the part of the world where Solomon had dwelt and -- after much effort -- located a carved glass bottle hidden deep in a certain cavern halfway up a certain mountain.

The bottle was a treasure in itself, wrought of elegant red glass, engraved with gold filigree in swirling patterns all up and down its length, some fourteen inches tall from top to bottom. And it was sealed tight, a stopper of purest gold set solidly into cinnamon-scented wax, inscribed with the all-powerful seal of Solomon himself.

But the professor sought a greater treasure, and no sooner had he safely emerged from the cavern to stand on the rugged mountainside -- three full hours' journey by Jeep from the nearest outpost of civilization, even in that day and age -- than he pried the stopper free of the bottle's neck.

Though he had hoped for it and half-expected it, the professor was still taken aback when a great outpouring of silver smoke, scented with the aromas of sandalwood and olives, billowed out of the bottle and coalesced into the form of a djinni dressed in varicolored gauzes and silks, some seventeen feet tall and possessed of a massive physique. He craned his neck upward and addressed the djinni in a firm tone, saying, "You are a violation of the law of conservation of mass."

The djinni cast its dark gaze down on the professor, condensed itself down to a mere eleven feet in height, and seated itself in the lotus position on a convenient boulder. "How so?" it inquired mildly.

The professor picked up the bottle and waved it at the djinni. "This doesn't weigh any less than it did with you in it," he said, "which means your mass should be next to nothing. But nothing that weightless has any business not blowing away like a kite in this breeze."

"I see," said the djinn, nodding its gigantic head thoughtfully. "Do I understand that you are a student of science?"

"Teacher of science," the professor corrected, grinning inwardly at the thought of how his colleagues at the university back in America would react to his discovery. "And you are--?"

The djinn suddenly looked abashed. "A thousand pardons, O my master," it said, in a much more formal tone of voice. "I am Nasraq son of Khadji, and by the laws and customs of the djinn (not to mention the power of Solomon's seal), I am required to serve he who has released me from my long captivity. By the terms of my oath, I may grant you three boons before I depart this place. What then is your desire, O my master?"

The professor smiled. "Just as I thought," he said. "You must know that that's an incredibly old routine these days, of course -- offer me three wishes, watch me screw them up, and vanish laughing in a cloud of smoke."

"Perhaps so," the djinni agreed amiably. "As I read the stars, it has been an extraordinarily long time since I was last decanted. Yet surely that will work in your favor, as you have doubtless learned many things which it would be unwise to wish for."

"Indeed," the professor said. "I gather I'm expected to make my wishes at once?"

"That would be most efficient," the djinni replied.

"Very well," said the professor. "May I ask some questions first?"

The djinni smiled. "You may, O my master. As three wishes are offered, so are three questions permitted." And so saying, the djinni shrunk itself still further, until its head was a mere foot or so above the professor's eye level.

The professor set the bottle carefully on a rock, folded his hands together, and thoughtfully flexed his fingers. "First," he asked, "if some aspect of a wish is open to interpretation, in whose favor will you interpret it, mine or yours?"

"A wise question indeed, O my master!" the djinni replied, its laugh resonant as the crash of waves against a seashore. "Here is the answer: I shall do exactly as you instruct, but you must be sure that what you say is in truth what you intend. You make unstated assumptions at your own risk."

The professor smiled. "I understand. Second, then: if I wish for a tangible object or objects, can you create such objects from scratch rather than supplying me with things which already exist?"

The djinn cocked an eyebrow at him reproachfully, though its tone remained polite and even amused. "You have the soul of a merchant, O my master," it said. "Indeed I can, and so I shall. That much I am willing to stipulate in advance. Should you wish for gold, gems, or other items of value, they will be truly yours and not merely stolen from another man's hoard."

"Caution," the professor replied, smiling, "is a virtue. So, then -- third, and finally, a question about the nature of your `magic'." He framed the word in audible quotation marks. "Is the power you wield dependent on some unique physical or mental characteristic of the djinn, or on knowledge and principles that we mortals could learn and apply if we chose?"

The djinni's expression went suddenly unreadable, and for a long moment it regarded him with an inscrutable, dark stare. "A teacher of science," it said at last. "I believe I must beware your profession in future, O my master. The latter is correct; you lack the knowledge to wield magic, but not the ability to do so."

The professor's smile grew wider. "Clarke's Law in action," he said. "Thank you; I believe I know what I want."

"Speak, then, O my master," said the djinn quietly, "and it shall be done."

The professor cleared his throat. "First," he said, " I wish for scientific knowledge and understanding equal to yours concerning the nature and application of magic. Second, I wish for a permanent, safely contained supply of any raw materials or other equipment necessary to apply that knowledge. And third, I wish for the freedom to practice magic without interference from you or any other djinni." As he finished, he tood a deep breath, regarding the djinni with a triumphant grin.

The djinni had listened to the professor's wishes silently and attentively, not so much as an eyelid or finger betraying a hint of motion or emotion. It maintained its silence for several moments after the wishes had been made, though the dark jewel in its turban glittered and flashed in the afternoon sunlight. At last, however, the gem blazed with sudden brilliance, and a slow, enigmatic smile spread across the djinni's face as it uncrossed its legs and stood up.

"So be it!" it said in a voice like crashing thunder, as it pointed a hand at the professor, one finger heavy with an ornate ring from which another immense gemstone flashed. Sand whirled around the professor, dizziness gripped his body, and the djinni loomed ever larger before him. He felt suddenly weightless and helpless in the magical wind, and before he could recover his wits or his balance, the light around him dimmed and took on an oddly familiar crimson cast.

Abruptly, the djinni was nowhere to be seen, but its voice rang nonetheless in the professor's ear. "Welcome," it said merrily, "to your new home! I trust that you shall have sufficient time to master your new abilities on your journey."

"Journey?" the professor said, still dazed.

"Indeed, O my former master," said the djinni, now standing some thirty-six feet tall and holding a tiny bottle of crimson glass carefully between two of its fingers. "I have given you the knowledge of magic and the tools to wield it, but I cannot bind the wills of those few other djinni who still live upon this world. Therefore must I send you to a world where there are no djinn to interfere with whatever magic you choose to practice. Have no fear -- your powers shall preserver you, and you shall be the first of your race to travel to another star!"

And so saying, the djinni drew back his arm and threw, and the newly resealed bottle and its inhabitant arced into the sky, traveling in the general direction of that star men have named Alpha Centauri.


End file.
